Fixing up our second home, one project after another.

Final Fixes on our First House.

(Side note, again … I’m behind in posting … so some of this is written in the wrong tense, because it should have been posted like 3ish weeks ago.)

So we’re under contract for our first house.

It sold in 3 days, and the process has been only a little bit tumultuous.

Our realtor is great.

The realtor on the other side … not so great.

But, we’ve gotten through it.

The buyer’s realtor was not always consistent with her/their requests. (She has a whole team working on this and we were never quite sure which lady was in charge of which task?) So, now, everything is done through this scheduling app now, where she requests appointments and we can approve, deny, or suggest different times, etc. And after the whole house inspection, she kept trying to get in the house by just booking her own appointments. She can’t do that. There has to be a reason she wants in the house; and she must explicitly say what contractor or company is coming with her to inspect our house. Like, she can’t just request an appointment for the buyer to come back and marvel at the house she’s about to buy … unless she specifically states that’s her intention and we approve it. Our realtor had to deal with all of that and it came up a few times … this scheduling app should make things more efficient and seamless … except when grown-ups don’t use it properly. 😉

So, with the inspections, we weren’t sure what to expect. Whole house inspectors can be scrupulous or keep it surface level. We’ve done A LOT to this house; so, there wasn’t that much a buyer could legitimately ask for … but there is ALWAYS something. (Aren’t inspectors required to find something?? wink wink)

Anyway, there were one snafu that we did find humorous … Her whole house inspector couldn’t find the vent in the guest bedroom. He stated in his report that there was no heat in that room, so then the buyer came back and said it couldn’t be considered a bedroom and wanted an HVAC guy to come out and estimate costs to install HVAC. Umm, the vent is on the wall right next to the closet. I guess, there was a small cart in front of it, and he would have had to move that, so …? Anyway, we approved the HVAC guy. I moved the cart before he came (just in case …). He didn’t find any problems, at least not that the buyer told us about anyway. Just said that the air conditioner could be cleaned and the bushes cut back more to provide better circulation and space around the unit. Agreed. Totally reasonable. (but she didn’t ask us to do any of that.)

Other than that, most of the report was pretty basic. Her requests … well, let’s just say they were not what we would have asked for … but they were (for the most part) totally reasonable.

She asked for:

Sellers to tear down the ivy attached to the house. We agreed to this. There is ivy on the chimney, which will just grow back this summer; but we’ll tear it down (or pay a friend’s kid to tear it down). Also pictured were these flowering vines in the back that grown on lattice … but apparently, her inspector didn’t know that it wasn’t ivy, nor that there was lattice behind it and reported that it was growing on the siding. Whatever, I’ll tear that down too (and it’ll just grow back this summer). These are technically just house maintenance items, typically not found on inspection request … but we just agreed to them anyway.

Seller to repair temperature relief valve on H2O heater. This was a legitimate request and we paid a plumber to take care of it.

Seller to install railing on stairs to basement. Again, a legitimate request, and we installed one.

Seller to install GCFI outlets at all receptacles within 6’ of water supplies. I guess this would have been a legitimate request, if any of the outlets with 6’ of a water supply didn’t already have GFCI outlets installed? The kitchen, bathrooms, and outdoor outlets are already GCFI, and it was clearly stated on her inspection report. Hher inspector did recommend upgrading the garage and basement outlets, but those are necessary and she didn’t ask for that. So, we didn’t do anything with this request.

Seller to present check (in a ridiculous amount) to buyer at closing for repairs of disintegrating windows. So, our windows are definitely in different levels of disarray. Some windows are painted and the pulley systems work just fine. Other windows don’t open very far, the pulley systems don’t work, the seals are disintegrated, the glazing is worn or gone … you get the idea. The windows are original (read: almost 100 years old). They still have that wavy glass in them that add to the character of the house. We can open all of the windows, but some of them need a stick to prop them up. They all have screens and storm windows that fit nicely. AND, the windows are something that you don’t need an inspector to give you feedback on – you can SEE them when you tour the house and make your offer. Also, the back windows in our house are newer and in complete working condition). So, we said no, and she said that she wanted something because the windows were “definitely a hazard and safety issue because of the missing pulleys and chipping paint.” (Don’t lick the windows, please!) So, we decided we didn’t want to actually DO anything to the windows … but we will buy the Oakwood-approved special clips that keep the windows open when the pulley system is broken, AND give her a check for a small, but reasonable amount to have the windows painted and/or repaired.

Anyway, it’s over now.

We’re all finished up.

And closing is happening next week!

And then we’ll be down to just ONE house.

And it will be glorious.

In the meantime, this house is a disaster – moving is messy, even when we’re trying to be organized about it.

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